


On Lake Coeur D’Alene

by darkone



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, M/M, Remix, Tampa Bay Lightning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-06
Updated: 2018-10-06
Packaged: 2019-07-17 07:29:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16090907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darkone/pseuds/darkone
Summary: A day at the lake takes a nasty turn for Tyler but leads to something amazing.





	On Lake Coeur D’Alene

**Author's Note:**

  * For [fleetingly](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fleetingly/gifts).
  * Inspired by [the ocean's floor, emotions in the air](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15383460) by [fleetingly](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fleetingly/pseuds/fleetingly). 



Tyler looks out at the beauty of Lake Coeur D’Alene from the dock. He loves this lake and spending time on it and today is no exception. There isn’t a cloud in the sky, the air is still, and the water is pristine. None of his friends could join him on the lake today but he’s going to make the most of it. 

“Their loss,” Tyler mutters, taking a deep breath of the fresh air.

He decides to take his jet ski out for a spin since the water is so calm he’ll cut through it like a knife at top speed.

Tyler rides along the lake with the wind in his hair. He notices there isn’t anyone else out on the lake but that just means he can go as fast as he wants without having to worry about anyone. 

He still can’t believe people would pass up on such a great lake day. 

Tyler goofs off until the late afternoon taking sharp turns and doing his fair share of tricks to impress no one. He slows down when he sees storm clouds building quickly in the distance. 

“Those look nasty,” Tyler huffs, a little annoyed that a storm is coming to ruin his joyriding. “I should head back.”

He turns himself around to head towards the docks but the storm catches up to Tyler quicker than he anticipates. The smooth water is now choppy and Tyler tries to speed up but he’s having a hard time controlling his jet ski with the heavy winds. 

Tyler swerves at the last second when he notices some fallen tree branches in the water but doesn’t notice the larger tree debris up ahead until the last second. He attempts to stop, losing control of his jet ski and crashes into the water. 

Tyler hits his head on the debris and sinks into the water. He sees a shadow swim above him before everything goes black.

~~

“ _...can’t…rej.._ ”

“ _...ouldn’t…leave him…die.._ ”

Tyler hears two unfamiliar voices above him, he can’t make out anything they’re saying.

“ _...waking...go…_ ”

Tyler groans, trying to open his eyes but they feel so heavy. He manages to peek through them; although his vision is blurry, he can see a man staring down at him. He can’t make out any of his features but the sound of his voice is soothing to Tyler. 

“ _You...be okay..._ ” 

Tyler blinks, trying to focus on the man’s face. 

“ _...go, Ond…_ ”

Tyler turns his head to follow the other unfamiliar voice. Is that a…a seal? Did the seal just talk? How hard did he hit his head?

Tyler doesn’t get the chance to wonder long before he loses consciousness again. 

~

Tyler jolts awake sometime later, completely alone on the dock. He looks around but doesn’t see anyone then gives himself a once over. Aside from a bump on the head and his ankle throbbing, he doesn’t appear to have any other injuries. He stands up and looks around again but there isn’t another soul in sight. 

He doesn’t know who rescued him but Tyler wants to find out. Tyler decides to head home and rest though, his head is killing him and he’ll be limping around for a few days. Once he recovers a little, he’ll go into town to try and find answers to his many questions. 

He gazes out at the lake once more, squinting when he sees splashing in the distance.

“Big fish,” Tyler mutters before leaving. 

~~

Tyler downs the rest of his beer, lamenting over his trip to One Shot Charlie’s being a bust. All the lake regulars frequent there and he knows his best bet to find information would be within its walls. Unfortunately for Tyler, everyone he talks to says they didn’t go to the lake that day. In fact, many of them express surprise when he mentions his accident because there’s no news about it. 

He sighs and gets ready to leave just as someone sits down at the bar next to him. Tyler looks over and doesn’t recognize the man. The man looks like he wants to be anywhere else right now but Tyler thinks that just may be his face.

The man orders a drink, carrying on a short conversation with the bartender. Tyler hears an accent and figures the guy must be from out of town. 

“You’re definitely not from around here,” Tyler strikes up a conversation.

The man grunts at him.

“I’ve lived here for awhile.” 

“Where did you come from?” 

“A far away place.” 

Tyler shakes his head, what a riveting conversation they’re having. He’s ready to give up and call it a night but the guy asks him something. 

“Sorry, what?”

The man huffs through his nose, looking annoyed that he has to repeat himself. 

“I asked if you’ve lived here your whole life.”

“Oh. Yeah, I have!” Tyler perks up. “I’ve spent most of my years on the lake, I love being in the water.”

“Me too.” A small smile lights the man’s face. 

It’s amazing he knows how to smile. 

“What’s your name, by the way?” 

“Nikita.”

“I’m Tyler.” 

He holds his hand out. Nikita shakes it firmly. 

“I know you said you’ve lived here awhile but I’ve never seen you before,” Tyler continues when their hands drop. 

“I keep to myself.” 

“So, why come out to a bar?” 

Nikita shrugs but doesn’t offer an answer. 

“Were you on the lake the other day by chance?” Tyler asks, not letting the silence between them sit long. He doesn’t want Nikita to leave just yet.

“Probably.”

“I was out by myself and crashed my jet ski. Someone rescued me but I didn’t see who, did you happen to see anything?”

“I didn’t see anything. Did you see who saved you?”

“I mean, kind of?” Tyler scrunches his face trying to recall it. “I remember his voice but I couldn’t see his face, my head is still really foggy from it.”

“You must have hit your head pretty hard.”

“Oh yeah,” Tyler laughs. “I hit it so hard I could have sworn there was a talking seal with him. Ridiculous, right?”

“Completely,” Nikita signals for another drink. 

“I just want to know who saved me so I can thank them but no one saw what happened,” Tyler lays his chin in his hand and sighs. “Oh well, thanks for chatting with me but I think I’ll head out. Maybe I’ll see you on the lake sometime, Nikita!” 

“You may,” Nikita salutes Tyler with his drink. 

Tyler salutes back and leaves the bar feeling a little down because he’s not getting anywhere in finding out his rescuer. 

~~

Nikita watches Tyler leave the bar then returns to his beer, thinking about the things Tyler said to him. Nikita’s glad he shifted back into his seal form when Tyler gained some consciousness back on the dock. He normally stays in that form no matter what but he stupidly shifted when Ondrej brought Tyler to the docks. Luckily for him, Tyler doesn’t seem to remember his voice. 

He pinches the bridge of his nose, he’s not looking forward to going back to Ondrej and telling him that Tyler is searching for the person who saved him. He just knows that Ondrej is going to think up some plan to introduce himself and skirt the Secrecy Laws or completely break them. Not that Nikita always follows them anyway, so he’s one to talk. Not the point though, and it’s better if Ondrej just keeps his distance from Tyler. Let the rescue remain a mystery and move on. 

He knows Ondrej will do no such thing though.

He debates getting another drink when he hears a familiar voice beside him.

“Can I buy you a drink?”

Nikita whips his head towards the voice, his eyes wide when they fall on that sweet awkward smile and messy blonde hair.

“V-vladdy? What are you doing here?”

“I live here, duh” Vladdy’s smile blooms. “I think the better question is what are you doing on dry land?”

“I, um,” Nikita lowers his eyes into his empty glass. Vladdy places a hand on his arm.

“Let’s go somewhere we can talk.” 

He pulls Nikita away from the bar, leading him to a small secluded corner away from the other bar patrons. The space is tight and there isn’t much room between them.

“I didn’t think I would see you again..you know, after...” Nikita trails off and shrugs.

“Yeah, I’m sorry about how I reacted,” Vladdy flushes. “I was just surprised! I mean, I wasn’t expecting you to tell me you’re a Shifter!” 

“You reacted how anyone would in your situation. There’s a reason we really don’t tell humans.” 

“I’m still sorry about all of it,” Vladdy places his hand on top of Nikita’s, squeezing it. “The time you and I spent together was amazing and I ruined-”

“No, you didn’t,” Nikita cuts Vladdy off. “It’s my fault, I shouldn’t have even made contact.”

Vladdy closes the small space between them, pushing their shoulders together. 

“I’m glad you did though. I never stopped thinking about you. At first, I think I was just scared and mad but I can’t deny my feelings for you.”

Nikita looks over Vladdy’s features in the dim bar lighting. He hasn’t seen Vladdy in a couple of years but he’s still just as beautiful as he remembers him. 

“I missed you so much,” Nikita admits. 

“Me too,” Vladdy reaches to cup Nikita’s cheek. “I’m glad I found you again. We need to make up for lost time.”

“Yes, we do,” Nikita closes the distance between their lips.

Vladdy deepens the kiss immediately, his fingers diving into Nikita’s hair and gripping tightly. Nikita groans and slides his tongue along Vladdy’s bottom lip. He’s missed Vladdy so much. The way he tastes, smells, and feels. Nikita’s never met anyone who fit so perfectly with him and he’s so glad they found each other again. 

“I think we should take this to my place,” Vladdy mutters between kisses. 

Nikita only groans in agreement and presses one long lingering kiss to Vladdy’s lips before pulling away and following Vladdy into the night.

~~

Ondrej swims just below the surface, waiting for Nikita to return. He’s a little worried because Nikita didn’t come back last night, not that he doesn’t think Nikita can’t handle himself, he just wonders what kept him. 

He pokes his head just above the water so only his eyes are showing, breathing some bubbles out of his nose for fun. He submerges again when he sees Nikita walking towards the shore in the distance. He swims over to a dilapidated dock nearby. Nikita is already waiting for him there when he surfaces.

“Late night, huh?” Ondrej smiles, trying not to laugh at the blush that forms on Nikita’s cheeks.

“I saw your guy,” Nikita answers.

“Oh, really?” 

“His name’s Tyler.” 

“Aaaannd,” Ondrej flicks his tail, splashing the front of Nikita’s shirt with water. “Details! You’re the worst conversationalist!”

Nikita rolls his eyes and sits down on the dock to take off his shoes.

“He wants to thank the person who saved him.”

“Oh.” 

Ondrej hoists himself up on the part of the dock that’s partly submerged. He splashes his tail lightly creating ripples around him and watching the colors of the sun bounce off his scales. 

Ondrej blushes, wanting nothing more than to see Tyler again and now has the perfect opportunity because Tyler is searching for his rescuer. .

“I know what you’re thinking, Ondrej.”

Ondrej glances up at Nikita who is frowning at him.

“What’s wrong with letting him thank me?”

“You would get in so much trouble if the Elders found out! You already broke the rules when you rescued him.”

“Don’t act like you’ve never broken any rules, Nikita.”

Nikita colors at Ondrej’s words and looks down at his feet dangling in the water.

Ondrej reaches over and pulls Nikita’s collar down.

“Looks like you broke a few rules last night,” Ondrej taps his fingers along the fresh bruises on Nikita’s neck. 

“I didn’t break any rules,” Nikita yanks his collar back up, blush still prominent on his face. “It was Vladdy.”

“Really?!” Ondrej’s eyes widened. “I thought that he...and you...oh my Neptune! Is he going to join the Community now?!”

“That’s the plan.”

“That’s amazing!” Ondrej cheered. “See, if you and Vladdy can make it work then so can me and Tyler!”

“Don’t get hasty. You have no idea how Tyler would react if you reveal you’re a Mer. If anything he’d probably react like Vladdy did.”

“It’s a risk I’m willing to take,” Ondrej sighs. “I know it can go badly but what if it doesn’t? I can’t just sit here and never find out. If he rejects me then fine I’ll move on but I have to know...and you can’t stop me!”

“Who said I would?” Nikita smirks, laughing when Ondrej splashes him with more water. 

Ondrej knows Nikita is only looking out for him but Ondrej can feel there’s something bigger for him and Tyler. He needs to see him again. He’s tired of watching Tyler from the depths. Ondrej’s had a crush on Tyler as long as he can remember but he always keeps a safe distance just watching over him to make sure Tyler is safe on the water. 

He just hopes Tyler takes meeting him well. He looks to Nikita and thinks about Nikita and Vladdy, despite what seemed like a bad ending between the two actually ends up being a good one. A smile blooms on Ondrej’s face at the thought. 

“So, you gonna tell me about last night?” 

“Absolutely not.” 

~~

Tyler lays on his dock, legs dangling over the edge with his feet just barely brushing the surface. He’s lost in his thoughts just enjoying the feel of the sun on his face until a voice startles him. Tyler turns to his side and sees a man in the water smiling at him. 

“Sorry I scared you.”

Tyler’s eyes widen. He recognizes that voice.

“You...are you the one who saved me?” 

“Um, yeah,” the man runs a hand over his hair and flushes. “How’d you know?”

“I remember your voice.” Tyler sits up and gets a good look at the guy. His features are so light in contrast to Tyler’s but he’s absolutely beautiful. “I definitely would have remembered your face too if I saw it...well, clearly. You were a blur.”

“You did hit your head pretty hard.”

Tyler rubs the back of his head and laughs.

“Yeah.Thank you...”

“Ondrej.”

“Thank you, Ondrej, for saving me. I don’t know what would have happened if you weren’t there.”

“You’re welcome,” Ondrej swims a little closer to the dock but Tyler can tell he’s keeping his distance for some reason. 

“I’m Tyler, by the way.” Tyler smiles. “I am really glad I got to see you again. Properly, so I could thank you.” 

“Me too.”

“Do you live around here?”

“Yeah, I live in the lake.” 

“I’ve just never seen you before...” Tyler looks around. “How did you even get here anyway?”

Tyler expects to see a boat or jet ski nearby but the only thing around him is Ondrej. 

“Oh, I swam. I’m an amazing swimmer!” Ondrej ducks under the water. Tyler waits for Ondrej to surface, jumping when Ondrej pops back up right in front of him with a burst of water. 

“Jeez, you are. You need to teach me your tricks.” Tyler wipes the water from his face. 

“I could if you like,” Ondrej bats his eyelashes. 

Tyler fully intends to flirt back but something behind Ondrej pulls his attention away. A seal. 

“Holy shit, there’s a seal behind you, be careful!” 

“Huh?” Ondrej turns around but the seal ducks into the water just before he looks.

“You should get out the water, Ondrej.”

“It’s fine,” Ondrej waves a dismissive hand. “He’s just being rude and eavesdropping!” 

Ondrej yells the last word loudly behind him, but the seal now watches them from the nearby rocks. Tyler swears the seal glares at Ondrej but he doesn’t move from his spot.

“That totally looks like the seal I hallucinated about when you rescued me. I could’ve sworn I heard him talk. He actually sounded a bit like this guy I met at the bar the other night.” Tyler laughs. “A total grump.”

“Yeah, that sounds like him. Not much of a talker.” Ondrej rolls his eyes. 

Tyler’s starting to think he isn’t imagining things.

“I feel like there’s a secret I need to be let in on.”

“I can let you in on the secret if you like,” Ondrej holds out a hand, “You have to get in the water though.” 

Tyler bites his lips, the way Ondrej is smiling at him makes his heart flutter. 

“Okay.” 

Tyler pulls his shirt over his head, tossing it aside. He reaches for Ondrej’s outstretched hand and slowly gets into the water. He’s face to face with Ondrej and can finally see how blue Ondrej’s eyes are...he’s even more beautiful up close too.

“Wow, you’re-AH!” Tyler yelps and clamors onto Ondrej, wrapping his arms around Ondrej’s neck. “Something touched my leg!” 

Ondrej laughs, patting the side of Tyler’s head. Tyler becomes very aware that he pressed his face against Ondrej’s cheek. 

“Oh, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have jumped on you like that.” 

Tyler knows his face is as red as beet right now. 

He can’t believe he jumped onto Ondrej like that after feeling something. It felt big though, totally warrants the freak out. He’s still embarrassed being up against Ondrej like that feels nice. 

“It’s okay, it’s my fault,” Ondrej runs one hand down Tyler’s back.

“How can it be your fault?”

“Well…” 

Tyler hears a splash and shiny blue scales flash by him. Tyler stares in wonder, watching the sunlight gleam off them before disappearing back into the water. 

“Holy shit,” he whispers. “You have a tail?”

“Yeah, I’m a Mer.” 

“That is _awesome_.” 

Ondrej brightens at Tyler’s words and pulls Tyler into a big hug.

“You’re not freaked out by it?” 

Tyler can hear the relief in Ondrej’s voice.

“What? No way. That’s so freaking cool!” Tyler cups Ondrej’s face, tracing his fingers over his cheekbones. Tyler trails his fingers down Ondrej’s jawline to his neck and over his collarbone. He wants to explore every inch of Ondrej, right down to the tip of his tail. He wants to touch and feel everything. 

“I know you’re probably curious about a lot of things, I don’t mind showing you,” Ondrej purrs.

“Please do,” Tyler bites his lip. “Let’s start with this…” 

He dives his fingers into Ondrej’s hair and pulls their lips together. Ondrej’s lips are surprisingly soft and he can taste the lake lingering on them. Tyler breaks the kiss to catch his breath.

“I think that’s something we should do again later,” Ondrej nuzzles him.

“Definitely.”

They both look over when they hear a splash, the seal from before pops his head up by them, huffing at Ondrej.

“Don’t look so surprised, Nikita!” Ondrej says to him.

“You _are_ the guy from the bar!” Tyler points.

Nikita snorts at them, diving under the water but makes sure to splash them both thoroughly.

“He’s nice once you get to know him, promise.” 

“I’ll take your word for it.” 

They both laugh and melt into another kiss. Tyler’s so glad Ondrej rescued him.


End file.
